Redemption
by LivewithHonour
Summary: A man awakes in a stranger's house with no memory of his life before, as he tracks down the man who shot him his memories begin to return but will he like what he remembers, does getting shot in the head change a man and how will he make up for the mistakes he made in a different life. (Vaguely follows the New Vegas Main quest line)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys hope you enjoy this new story, been wanting to write for a while and I just decided to write it alongside my Fallout 3 one, pretty confident i can handle both if I push myself.**

**I have used in game dialogue at first but that'll slowly fade as I get further in. After all when your character's responses are different the generic in game responses don't start ti make a whole lot of sense.**

**Hope you enjoy and will try to update very Friday.**

The bright light hurt his eyes, accentuating the headache that blazed like a wildfire; he quickly lifted a hand to shield his eyes. It disturbed him how much effort it had taken just to do such a insignificant action.

_What the hell happened to me?_

"How about that?" A voice to his right startled him, causing him to jerk his head in the direction of the voice, wincing at the pain the erratic movement caused.

"Whoa easy there, easy" An old man with a balding head spoke gently, holding his hands out gesturing for him to sit back a bit. "You've been out cold a couple a days now, why don't you just relax a second, get your bearings, see what the damage is. How about your name, can you tell me your name?" The words, spoken in a gentle, soothing manner caused a welter of panic in the man.

_I don't know my name, why the hell don't I remember my own name. Fuck I don't remember anything._

Unwilling to admit how badly his memory was damaged to a total stranger, he searched around desperately for anything that could give him a name, just until he remembered his real one at least. His eye's came to rest on a empty whiskey bottle which sat on an old gunmetal grey writing desk, a shot glass lay on its side next to it.

"Jack Daniels" he blurted the name out quickly, before staring at the old man, daring him to contradict him.

"Well I can't say it's what I'd have picked for you" The old man seemed to give a knowing chuckle as he smiled at Jack's name. "But _if _that's your name, that's your name. My names Doc Mitchell, welcome to Goodsprings…Jack." Doc Mitchell paused, looking slightly uncomfortable as he shifted self consciously in his chair.

_Uh-oh looks like someone's got bad news, still what could be worse than losing your memory?_

"Now I hope you don't mind but I had to go rooting around there in your noggin to pull all the bits of lead out. I take pride in my needlework but you better tell me if I left anything out of place."

"Why the hell was the there 'lead in my noggin'?" Jack asked, the shock causing his voice to rise a couple of pitches.

"Well um…you got shot…twice…in the head"

"Oh good and I was worried it was something bad" This was said in a dull tone, Jack's body was on auto pilot as he tried to process this newest bit of information.

_Asked and answered I guess. Why the fuck would someone want to kill me and how the fuck am I still breathing after two goddamn shots to the head. Still the silver lining to this particularly shitty cloud is I have no idea what I looked like before anyway._

"How'd I do?" The Doc asked Jack as he handed him what looked like a high tech mirror. No a 'reflectron' Jack corrected himself as a read the name that was inscribed on the upper left hand side. Bracing himself for the worst he stared into the screen.

_Not too shabby_

Jack was pleasantly surprised to see that the Doc's 'needlework' was very good, you had to look very closely indeed to see that he had even be shot. The faint scars were well hidden by his chestnut brown hair which had a shaggy suave look to it. And he didn't look to bad either for a guy that had just been shot. The face of a youthful Caucasian man stared back him, blue eyes glinting with what seemed to be amusement as he stared at himself.]

"Ok I guess"

_What the hell am I going to say? What the fuck have you done, I was black before I was shot._

"Good, well let's see if we can get you on your feet" As he spoke the Doc stood up from his chair and moved over to Jack's side. He placed his hands on Jack's shoulders and, with a surprisingly strong grip for an elderly man; he helped Jack to get his feet. Jack was grateful for the assistance as a wave of dizziness hit him as he stood and if the Doc had not been there to hold him up he would've crashed onto the floor in a heap. They stayed like that for a few minutes more, the Doc only releasing when Jack gave a cursory nod to indicate that could stand unaided.

"Good, why don't you walk down to the end of the room, over by that vigour tester machine there" Glancing over Jack could see an old dusty machine standing on the other side of the room, about 20 yards away, never had such a small distance seemed so far.

Jack stepped forward quickly, lurching forward as his legs, unused for a while, began to give way beneath him. Stepping forward again the Doc caught before he could fall and helped Jack to regain his balance.

"Take it slow now, it ain't a race" The Doc said reprovingly as he released Jack once again. Jack nodded and began to walk again, slowly this time testing his weight on each foot before he lifted the other and he continued this way as he made his way, step by step, across the cold wooden floor. He almost lost his balance at one point but when the Doc moved to help Jack waved him away angrily, determined to do it himself.

When he finally made it to the machine he felt a burst of pride at the trivial task and he couldn't help but grin at the Doc, who returned the smile with a kindly look.

"Looking good so far" He said, giving Jack a thumbs up "Go ahead and give the vigour tester a try, we'll learn right quick if you've got back all your faculties." Jack gave him a sceptical look but the old doctor just smiled and gestured at the old machine.

_What the hell up till now he seemed like a pretty savvy doctor, this…machines hardly cutting edge medical technology. Hell it isn't even 'medical' technology._

Still, Jack conceded, the old guy had saved his life so he might as well humour him. What the worst that could happen by messing around with an old pre-war machine after all. Gripping the handle firmly with his right hand Jack reached out and hit the start button. He was taken by surprise when the machine began to hum and the handle began to heat up and shake erratically. Grimacing Jack fought to keep it upright and steady as the numbers flashed on the display, his arm began to ache in protest at the abuse that it was suffering.

Finally just as the pain in his arm was becoming unbearable the machine gave one last judder and stopped, his score flashing up on the screen. His score was fairly average across the board, with only his agility as a high score, 'knife catcher' level apparently.

"Yeah, that's a pretty standard score there. But after what you've been through I'd say that's great news." Doc Mitchell said with a smile and he held out an arm to indicate that they should move into his lounge. "I am surprised your luck isn't higher though"

_I'm not, I don't think of myself as 'lucky' when I've just been shot twice in the head_

Still Jack smiled at the Doc's words and turned to follow him into the lounge. He was relieved that his legs were beginning to feel stronger. He no longer felt like he was going fall over every time he took a step.

"Well we know your vitals are good, but that don't mean that bullet didn't leave nuttier than a bighorn's dropping. What do you say you take a seat on my couch and we go through a couple of questions and see if your dogs are still barking?"

Inwardly sighing Jack took a seat opposite the Doc, the man might be a whizz with a needle but Jack was seriously beginning to doubt if _his _dogs were still barking. Still he was happy to sink back into the comfy couch and rest for a while.

"All right. I'm gonna say a word. I want you to say the first thing that comes to mind. Dog."

"Cat" Jack kinda drifted out after that, he'd never had much faith when it came to this psychobabble crap but he continued just to humour the old guy, after all there was no harm in it. As it turned out Jack was right not to take it seriously when the Doc revealed at the end of the examination that he didn't have anything to compare to which basically meant that the test was useless. Jack sighed inwardly again at least he had a nice sit down.

He passed on the medical history, if he couldn't remember what his name was he doubted he know whether his family had a history of heart problems.

"Don't worry about it" The Doc said kindly "Ain't like I expected to find you got a family history of getting shot in the head." He chuckled at his own joke and Jack rewarded him a wry smile.

_The depressing thing is I have no idea whether that's actually true_

"Well that's about it. Here's what you had on you when you came in, it's not much I'm afraid. Hope you don't mind but I took a look at this note but it was just a delivery order." Taking the note Jack scanned it quickly hoping to find out some clue about his identity.

_Deliver the package at the north entrance to the Vegas Strip, by way of Freeside. An agent of the recipient will meet you at the checkpoint, take possession of the package, and pay for the delivery. Bring the payment to Johnson Nash at the Mojave Express agency in Primm._

Bonus on completion: 250 caps.

MANIFEST

This package contains:

One (1) Oversized Poker Chip, composed of Platinum

_A poker chip, please tell me someone didn't shoot me in the head over a fucking poker chip._

The rest of his gear was unremarkable, a couple of bottle of water, some food, some caps and a 9mm pistol with a handful of ammo. Jack was surprised to find his hand was used to the weight of the pistol and he seemed to innately know how to check that it was in working order. Making a joke about preserving modesty the Doc handed him an old vault suit to get changed into.

"Thanks Doc, say you don't mind if I look round a bit, see if I can find anything useful here? I hope its not too much to ask."

"Go ahead" The Doc said smiling sadly "My adventuring days are long gone." Jack sensed there was more to that particular story but he had already asked for so much, he thought it would be prudent to leave the old man his privacy.

The Doc's house had yielded a handful of stimpaks, a bottle of anti-venom and a old 9mm submachine gun which Jack had managed to repair.

_Apparently I seem to know my way around guns, helpful I suppose especially if I plan to track down the bastards who shot me in the head._

As he made to walk out the door he spotted an old pre-war hat lying on the floor, figuring it would give him some protection against the unforgiving wasteland sun he jammed it on top of his head before opening the door and stepping back out into the outside world.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack fidgeted with the Pipboy which sat on his arm, annoyed with extra weight that it placed on that side. Just as he had been leaving the Doc had ran up to him and snapped it onto his arm, apologising for forgetting to give it to him earlier. Discomfort aside Jack had to admit that it was a useful bit of kit, the map function and life signs monitors would be especially useful out in the wasteland.

His head looked up sharply from the green glow of the Pipboy as he heard a low rumbling and clanking sound approaching from his right. Sure enough there was a massive robot rolling towards him, a grinning cowboy's face grinning from a small monitor on its chest.

_Who the hell designs a robot to look like that? I half thought the Doc was joking when he described Victor to me_

"Hey"

"Howdy partner, might I say, you're looking fit as a fiddle"

"Just wanted to say thanks for digging me out that grave Victor, how'd you find me?"

"Oh I was out for a stroll that night when I heard the commotion up at the old bone orchard. Saw what looked like a couple of bad eggs so I laid low. Once they'd run off, I dug you up to check if you were still kicking."

"Yeah, uh thanks for that but…um…couldn't you have helped me _before _I got shot in the head"

"Too many for me to handle partner"

"But…I could've…you are a walking…forget it" Jack sighed, he should just be thankful he was alive even if it was minus his memories. "Do you at least know who shot me?"

"Can't say I'm familiar with the rascals. Some of the fine folks in town might be able to help you with that"

"Yeah? Well I'll just go to talk to them then…bye?"

"Happy Trails" Victor said cheerfully before rolling away. To be truthful Jack was pleased to see him go, that cowboy thing the robot had going on was creepy as hell. He just didn't trust that deceptively happy voice that squawked out of Victor's speakers.

Looking up he could see the two main buildings in Goodsprings, the general store and the saloon. The Doc had advised him to go to the saloon and find a 'Sunny Smiles' who would help him get back in the swing of things, teach how to shoot etc. With his memory loss Jack thought that was probably a good idea, on the other hand the store would give him fresh supplies. Making a decision Jack started walking towards the general store, maybe it was excess paranoia after being shot in the head, twice, but he felt awfully exposed in this flimsy vault suit, he'd buy something sturdier before he went to find Sunny.

When he stepped out again his pocket felt a lot lighter but he was happy with the leather armour he had bought, he felt a lot less vulnerable than he had before and although it wouldn't stop a bullet it would protect him again weak knife thrusts and light ricochets a whole lot better than his old vault suit would. He had also bought an old rucksack to carry food and water and any scrap he'd find on his travels. Best of all he still had enough for a drink or two at the bar once he'd done whatever this 'Sunny Smiles' wanted him to do.

"Howdy, what can Easy Pete do for you?" Jack jolted slightly as the old African American began to speak before he returned the man's smile. He had been climbing on the landing outside the main entrance when he had been startled by the sudden voice. The old timer had been snoring from his seat in an old wooden chair on the landing, the white tip of his beard slowly rising and falling with each breath from where it lay on his chest. Obviously 'Easy Pete' was lot more alert than Jack had first thought.

"Oh I'm just looking for a Sunny Smiles"

"Oh she's just inside that door there"

"Thanks you sir"

"Call me Pete young'un"

"Sure thing…Pete. I...uh…need to find Sunny" Jack muttered, awkwardly gesturing towards the Saloon door. A low snore emanating from Easy Pete told Jack that he was no longer listening, shaking his head in confusion Jack pushed open the door to the saloon.

As he entered he was greeted by a loud angry bark followed by an aggressive growl, on reflex Jack whipped out his 9mm and aimed at the source of these noises, a husky who stood staring at him, it's hackles raised and it's fur standing on edge.

"Cheyenne. _Stay._" A female voice barked out commandingly, before it continued in a more friendly tone. "Don't worry; she won't bite unless I tell her to." The speaker was a pretty blonde woman in her late twenties, like Jack she wore black leather armour and she had some type of rifle slung on her back. Holstering his gun, Jack stared at her for a few moments longer before realising that she was waiting for him to speak.

"Sunny Smiles?"

"That's me. Wait a minute you must be that fella that got shot in the head, didn't think I'd be seeing you again" She spoke with a strong southern accent and smiled happily at him as she spoke. Jack returned her smile, smoothing down some of the creases in his leather armour, suddenly very self conscious of his appearance.

"Yeah that's me. Doc Mitchell said you could teach me how to survive in the desert?" Sunny tilted her head slightly and gave him a confused look.

"You seem to be able to handle yourself" She said, gesturing at his reholstered 9mm "You had your pistol out quicker than a brahmin at feeding time" Jack was absurdly pleased with the compliment and his smile grew as he patted his sidearm.

"Thank you but you see those shots to the head seem to have caused me to have lost my memory. So I'm just running on instinct at the moment and I was hoping you could help…um…refresh my memory on how to survive."

"Yeah I guess there's a thing or two I could show you. Sounds like you need all the help you can get after what they done to you. Meet me outside behind the saloon." Giving him one last smile she proceeded to walk away to the far end of the room. Jack watched her go, marvelling at the way her hips swayed. He attention was ripped away from this lovely view by a low growl from 'Cheyenne', to Jack it seemed like she was warning him to back off. A piercing whistle from Sunny stopped the dog from repeating it's point as it dutifully ran to catch up with her.

_Great the psycho dog's coming; I was worried we'd have to do without its company._

After waiting for the dog to leave his sight, Jack followed their route out of the Saloon's back door. As he stepped outside the desert's dry heat hit him again, pulling down the rim of his hat further to shield his eyes Jack looked up and down the alley, searching for Sunny.

"Over here…say mister you never did tell me your name"

"Uh…it's Jack"

"Jack what?"

"There's no need…just don't worry about it, just Jack's fine"

"No, No" Sunny said with a teasing smile "You know my last name so it's only fair I know yours"

"Daniels" Jack muttered gruffly desperately hoping she wouldn't make the connection. A burst of laughter from the blonde told him that his hopes were in vain. It took minute or two for the laughter to subside enough for Sunny to tell Jack why she had brought him to the back of the saloon, an occasional giggle erupting from her.

"Just shoot those bottles of the wall there and I'll give you some pointers, see if your as good at shooting as you are on the draw" It came automatically to Jack and after a couple of misses at the start he was smashing the bottles at will.

"Wow, you're a pretty good shot"

"You're not so bad yourself" Jack smiled as he slung the rifle over his back using a tough leather sling that Sunny had handed to him along with the rifle itself. Still it bothered him slightly that he was so proficient with guns

_Who am I? What kind of man remembers how to shoot but forgets everything else. I'm supposed to be a courier not a soldier._

"Hey Jack" Sunny's voice snapped him out of his internal panicking, from the volume of her voice and her slightly exasperated expression it hadn't been the first time she had called his name. "You alright Jack?"

"Yeah…yeah I'm fine just thinking about a nice cold drink at the bar"

"Sounds nice but I was wondering, if it ain't too much trouble that is, if you'd come down to the water springs and clear out any geckoes that might be lurking around there"

"Only if you buy me a drink after?" Jack grinned as she nodded her acceptance

"Lets get going then, you'll need to follow me and…uh…catch!" Sarah yelled the last word as she tossed a satchel of ammo to Jack before she began to run south at a steady jog. Hurriedly attaching it to his belt Jack took off after Sunny, careful to keep her in between him and that mutt Cheyenne.

_I should really have asked what the hell a gecko was before I agreed to go hunting with her, apparently I am a sucker for a pretty face…there are worse things to be I suppose._

Putting a finger to her lips, Sunny waved her hand downwards in a signal for Jack to crouch, hugging a nearby rock face she began to edge towards the corner, before shooting a quick glance round to where one of the springs was situated.

"There's a couple of the little buggers at this one" She said, flashing a smile at Jack "Let's see how good you are at shooting a moving target"

"Watch and learn" Jack whispered, a slight smirk on his face as he slowly made his way past Sunny, holding his rifle tightly as he sneaked forward looking for a position that would give him a clear line of sight. Once he had cleared the brush and had a clear view over to the spring he identified two geckoes play fighting by the concrete trough.

_What the hell are they? You'd think I'd remember something as ugly as that, I mean good god! Still this should be easy enough, they're just like the bottles…except they can move and bite. You know what I think way to much for my own good._

Pointedly taking his mind away from his treacherous thoughts from his mind, Jack raised his rifle and aimed it squarely at the rightmost gecko. Exhaling slowly he squeezed the trigger, the barrel was already moving to the second's head when the first's erupted in a fountain of blood and bone. He stared into the yellow eyes of the second's as it swivelled its head to stare at him. Opening its mouth wide to reveal razor sharp teeth it uttered a strange gargling roar before Jack's second bullet tore its throat out and it was transformed into pathetic gurgle.

"Wow good shootin' Jack" Sunny shouted happily from behind him, but Jack did not acknowledge her save a wave of his hand signalling her to crouch down again. He remained in his firing position senses straining to hear or see anything dangerous. Normally he would've turned and flashed a smile at Sunny and he would've this time apart from the fact that the hairs on the back of his neck were raised. He didn't know why he believed that that was a sign of danger but he did, so he crouched there unwilling to risk his or Sunny's life by ignoring his instincts.

"Why the hell are we…" Sunny's question trailed off as the bush's to their right shook and a low gargling roar could be heard, snapping round Jack's rifle banged twice and one last Gecko lay bleeding at the outermost edge of the bush. It had been bigger than the others and evidently had been off hunting only to return when it heard the sound of Jack's rifle.

"Wow, how the hell do you know he was there?"

"Instinct" Jack said simply, his body relaxing with the hairs on the back of his neck "Anymore springs?"

"Two actually, I'll lend a hand with the next two, not that you seem to need one" Sunny winked and started heading south, presumably in the direction of the next spring, whistling for Cheyenne to follow, the dog gave an almost cursory growl as if to remind Jack that she didn't like him before it bounded off after Sunny. Keeping his rifle in his left hand Jack followed suit anxious not to be left out of the action.

There was no attempt at stealth for the second spring, apparently that wasn't how Sunny did it, instead she leapt to her feet and fired at the group of four gecko's, her round crippling one gecko's leg. Barking angrily Cheyenne raced up to a second and leapt at it, her teeth aiming for its throat. Jack cracked a shot into the thirds head before glancing up to see the fourth had cannoned into the side of Cheyenne pinning her to the ground. Personally he'd wouldn't be too bothered if the dog died but Sunny wouldn't be too happy. That and Jack's conscience would be nagging at later if didn't save the mutt. Aiming his rifle he squeezed the trigger only to be met with a metallic click.

"Shit" Jack swore as he raced closer yanking his 9mm from its holster as he did so, once he close enough to be confident that the smaller calibre bullets would kill he squeezed the trigger several times into the gecko's side. The cessation of it's growling told him that it was dead and he was about to check to see if Cheyenne was alive when a shrill scream caused him to forget all about the dog. His rifle was about 20 yards in the opposite direction of the scream and so he left it, racing towards the source of the sound, snapping a fresh magazine into the gun as he ran.

Jack slid to a stop at the edge of small cliff about 15 feet high, at the bottom about 100 yards away a woman was being attacked by four geckos. She was holding the back with a rusty pipe but Jack could see it was only matter of time before one got past and they swarmed her. Jack raised his pistol but swore immediately before lowering it again. The pistol was too inaccurate, at this range he had just of much chance of hitting the woman as the geckos that worried her.

Taking a couple of steps back, Jack sucked in a calming breathy before he ran forward and leapt off of the cliff. He rolled as he landed the rolling jarring his knees painfully but he ignored the pain, springing to his feet and sprinting towards the women. The woman in question had already sent one Gecko crashing to the ground, its skull caved in from a heavy swing. Jack dispatched two more, firing a salvo of bullets into the rearmost two cutting them down in a hail of lead. The last one was too close for comfort and Jack reholstered the handgun, instead grabbing half of an old walking stick, its broken end tapering into a sharp point. Roaring unintelligibly Jack rammed the sharp implement into the gecko's open mouth throwing all of his momentum into the stab. That momentum drove the stick out the back of the gecko's mouth as Jack clattered into it and ended up sprawled on top of it.

"Oh my god, you saved my life" The woman was weeping with joy at her unlikely survival "I came to get some water but here you look like you need it more" Pressing a bottle of water into his hands, the woman ran off towards Goodsprings continuing to yell her thanks as she did so.

Jack rolled of the gecko's carcass and lay on his back as he rubbed his face tiredly

_It's been a long day _Jack thought tiredly as he closed his eyes.

"Wow you saved Sally, impressive" Jack opened his eyes when he felt his face been licked, opening his eyes he saw Cheyenne's furry face. Apparently saving her life had made her a bit friendlier towards Jack. Not willing to ruin her new found goodwill Jack refrained from pushing her away instead choosing to give her a quick stroke. "That's even more impressive, usually Cheyenne has to get to know someone quite well before she starts getting all friendly."

"I'm honoured, now I believe something about you buying me a drink was mentioned?"

"After what you done, you deserve more than a drink" Sunny said with a wide smile as she offered Jack a hand to get up.

"Yeah? Well a nice cold beers all the thanks I need" Jack smiled back as he took Sunny's hand and climbed back to his feet.

"Good to know, but you keep this rifle as well, you know the one you left over there when you went to save the day" Taking the rifle gratefully Jack thanked Sunny as they headed north back to Goodsprings where Jack was looking forward to a cold beer and a bit of relaxation after what had turned out to be one hell of a day.


	3. Chapter 3

**As promised I am back to writing this story and I will be continuing this story without any more major delays.**

* * *

Jack smiled contentedly as Sunny giggled at his joke; he leaned back on his chair and took a swig of beer, savouring the cool liquid as he swallowed.

_Life is good…well apart from getting shot in the head…twice. But if you discount that then life is damn good._

"So are you going to stick around town for a while?"

"I don't know" Jack replied honestly "There doesn't seem like there's much to do in a small town like this."

"Really?" Sunny cooed "I'm sure I could find _something _to occupy your time" Her blue eyes sparkled mischievously at him as she sipped her own beer. Jack grinned and was about to reply when raised voices interrupted him.

"Come on bitch, I know that you're hiding him" An angry male voice barked out from behind him, shifting round in his seat Jack saw a tall African American man standing threateningly over a small middle aged woman who glared back, unintimidated.

"I told you Cobb, we have no idea where he is. He definitely isn't in town, we didn't let him stay." She growled back. The man chuckled shoving his hands into his pockets, he was wearing a blue shirt with body armour covering his torso, the letters NCRCF emblazoned on his back in thick white letters. Jack would have guessed that he was some kind of guard if wasn't for the blood stain on the back of the shirt's collar, whoever had worn that shirt before had been shot in the back of neck. That fact and Cobb's general demeanour told Jack that Cobb was a bully, a man who was used to get what he wanted whenever and however he wanted.

"Bullshit. I know he's here and you are going to tell me where the fuck he is." Cobb growled, he previous smile replaced with a predatory glare.

"You know what Cobb…" The woman started angrily before sighing and running a hand through her brown curls. "Just…just get out of my bar"

"Who's going to make me bitch?" Cobb growled his hand straying to rest on his pistol, glancing around Jack saw the rest of the bar's patrons reaching for his weapons. He groaned inwardly, the last thing he needed was to a fire fight to break out in the bar, to have bullets flying everywhere. If his recent track record was anything to go by then he was definitely going to get shot. Putting a finger to his lips, he glanced meaningfully at Sunny as he carefully lifted himself up from his chair, grabbing a steak knife from the table is crept up behind Cobb.

"Tell me where he is or I swear we're going to burn this shitty town down." Cobb yelled, finally losing his temper, his hand wrapping round his pistol as he prepared to pull his weapon from its holster. Before he could get the chance, Jack smashed the heel of his boot into the back of Cobb's knee, Jack's left hand pushing down on Cobb's shoulder forcing the man onto his knees. His right brought the steak knife to Cobb's neck.

"Make any moves I don't tell you to and I open up your throat" Jack spoke quietly into Cobb's ear "Now using two fingers take the pistol by the butt and lay it on the ground nice and slowly, if I see your fingers wander towards the trigger then I kill you." To reinforce his words Jack pressed the steak knife further into Cobb's neck drawing beads of blood as the serrated edges sliced through skin. When Cobb had done as he asked Jack motioned for the brown haired woman to kick the pistol away.

"Now get the hell out of here before I decide that my life would get easier if I just killed you right now." Jack growled he turned Cobb around and shoved him towards the door.

"I have a lot of friends, they aren't going to like you treating me like this" Cobb spat at Jack; he had regained some bravado now that he was out of Jack's reach.

"You know Cobb" Jack spoke casually as he cleaned Cobb's blood of the steak knife with a wash rag that lay on the bar. "You're not doing a particularly good job of convincing me that it wouldn't be easier for me to kill you." Cobb blanched momentarily before the sneer crept back onto his face, he scoffed at Jack's threat but he still stepped back towards the door quickly, fumbling at the handle for a moment before he almost jumped out of the door, throwing threats over his shoulder as he fled the bar.

"I'm just going to make sure he actually leaves town instead of trying to snoop around" Sunny's voice broke the silence that had enveloped the room since Jack had last spoken. "Trudy…uh this is the new guy I was telling you about, the one that old Doc Mitchell was patching up."

"Hey" Jack said awkwardly, all too aware of the stares that he was attracting.

"Why don't you all get back to minding your own business" Trudy snapped at the gawkers. She had obviously noticed his discomfort. "Come sit down" She motioned towards a barstool "How about pour you a drink as a thank you for getting that Joe Cobb out of my saloon. I have this lovely scotch that I save for those especially trying days."

"That's a nice scotch" He sighed contentedly as sipped the cool liquid, savouring the peaty taste. "What happened to your radio?" He asked gesturing towards an old radio which lay on the counter, it buzzed and squawked intermittently.

"No some Great Khan oaf knocked it over when I insisted they pay for their drinks. After that I insisted that they and their cocky friend in the expensive checked suit to leave. Never liked the look of that last guy anyway, big city type with his fancy suit thought he was too good for us hard working 'small town' folk."

"Did you say 'checked suit'?" Jack asked eagerly, Trudy's description matching Victor's earlier one. "I've been told that a guy in a checked suit shot me and I'd really like to catch up with him so we can have a little chat."

"Really? Well I suppose he was hanging a round with those Great Khans. Those thugs are drawn to violence like Mirelurks to water. Well would have had to head south towards Primm, road north is impassable, they say Deathclaws have overran quarry junction." She spoke the last words in hushed fearful tones even Jack felt a shiver at the word Deathclaw, evidently they were something to avoid."

"Well thanks for the advice, I'm hoping that this guy can give me a clue as to who the hell I am." Jack said gratefully, draining the last of his scotch. He moved to rise from his seat but was prevent when the saloon door banged open and Sunny stormed in.

"I watched him leave the town, though couple of his 'friends' were waiting for him on the outskirts of town. I don't trust 'em Trudy, they ain't just gonna skulk around forever, even cowards like them are gonna grow some balls at some point."

"Now now Sunny don't you go stirring up trouble. As long we leave them be and don't give them a reason to come to us then they'll stay away."

"Trudy" Sunny glared angrily at her before sighing heavily "I'm just going to do the rounds along the outskirts, make sure none of those vermin try and sneak back into town." Jack watched as Sunny left again slamming the door behind to let everyone know that her frustration had not been soothed.

"So" Jack began uncertainly "What does this Joe Cobb want? Sounding like he was after someone?"

"Well I guess you've proven that you can be trustworthy. You've been here less than a day and already you've saved Sally from the geckoes and tossed Joe Cobb out of Goodsprings. All this trouble with the Powder Gangers started when a man called Ringo arrived in town asking if he could hide here. Shortly after that Cobb arrived, asking about a man matching Ringo's description. I'm sure Ringo could tell you more, he's hiding out in the old garage."

"Thanks" Jack smiled at Trudy "I'll go have a chat with him"

* * *

The old garage was at the far end of town, no one lived in the area preferring to stay in the houses close to Victor's shack. Jack could hardly blame, a giant robot built like a tank was useful deterrent to opportunistic raiders. But as a result of this the buildings round here were even more dilapidated than the rest of the town. The wooden boards of the house were beginning to rot from the inside, walls were sagging, radroaches and other wildlife had begun to infest it. Jack glanced around carefully before he stepped inside the garage, making sure that he wasn't inadvertently giving away Ringo's position to the Powder Gangers. After a few moments he was satisfied that he was alone he twisted the door knob and pushed the door open, welcoming the rush of warm air as he stepped inside the garage's shop only to meet with the business end of a 9mm pistol.

"Who the hell are you?" A dark haired Latino man, who Jack assumed to be Ringo, snarled at him. Looking more closely Jack saw that his hand was shaking slightly, this was a man who wasn't used to holding people at gun point.

_Not that it matters too much_ Jack reminded himself, _at this range there's no way that he could miss. Hell with his hand shaking that much he could shoot me without even meaning to._

"If you're not going to shoot me with that then could you just put it down before someone gets hurt" Jack spoke calmly with a smile on his face, his hands held out in front of him in a supplicating gesture to reassure Ringo that he wasn't going attack him anytime soon.

"Uh…yeah sure. Sorry about that, I've been nervous ever since those damn Powder Gangers attacked my caravan." The man smiled sheepishly "Just for my piece of mind could we both just lay our weapons on the counter." Ringo gestured to the 9mm at Jack's waist and the rifle on his back as he spoke.

"Sure, I'm gonna do them nice and slow ok. Try to keep that pistol pointed at the ground, they can have a habit of going off when you don't mean them to and I'd rather not get shot for a time in as many days." When Ringo nodded his acceptance Jack slowly placed both weapons on the counter, careful to keep his hands away from the trigger in effort to stop a nervous Ringo from jumping to any conclusions.

"So" Jack asked when Ringo had slumped down on the thin mattress where he had obviously been sleeping for the past couple of days, dropping his pistol on small shelf under till next to what looked to be a healthy amount of ammunition. "From what I've heard a Joe Cobb is very interested in finding you. Any particular reason why?"

"Yeah there is" Ringo smiled ruefully "As you may have realised I'm not a soldier, I'm a merchant with the Crimson Caravan, a damn good one if I do say myself. We were heading north up the Long 15 to try and work up a deal with Sloan regarding food when we were ambushed by a pack of Powder Gangers led by Cobb. We tried to fight back, I shot a man, I think it was Cobb's brother, he certainly looked like him. I…I panicked, it was the first time I killed a man you see and there were so damn many of them. I just ran for my life…I mean what could I have done…if I'd stayed then I would have just died with them. Anyway since I killed his brother Cobb's been chasing me." Jack snorted derisively in response.

"Ha Cobb didn't seem to broken up about it earlier in the saloon. He probably cares more about his reputation than his brother, letting the man who kills you brother get away just makes him look weak."

"Yeah I guess. Listen you look like a tough enough sort, you certainly look like you know how to handle those weapons. You come here to offer me a helping hand?"

"Depends on what you're paying?" Jack said matter-of-factly, at Ringo's stunned look he elaborated "What? I want to help but I've been shot, robbed and I have absolutely no memory past Tuesday. In short I seem to have enough enemies as it is so I need an extra incentive if I'm going to myself in even more trouble." He grinned at Ringo, who laughed in reply.

"Gotta love that mercenary spirit, that's the attitude that lets you survive in town like New Vegas. Look I don't have any money on me right now, I did leave in a bit of hurry remember? But when I get back to the Crimson Caravan Headquarters I'm sure I'll be able to reimburse properly."

"That's fine" Jack grinned "When do we deal with Cobb?"

"Whoa not so fast there, we need more than the just the two of us if we're going to take on Cobb"

"Why? I trust you to watch my back"

"Ha. It's my back I'm worried about. You're going to be busy fighting the Powder Gangers who's going to be watching mine? Try asking around town for some help, at the very least Sunny Smiles would be enough for us to stand a chance of getting out of the fight in one piece."

Jack smiled at the thought of spending more time with a certain blue eyed woman "I could have a chat, see what I can do. I'll be back here in the morning." He grabbed his weapons as he headed for the door only pausing to throw one final remark over his shoulder. "Try not shoot me when I come back." Chuckling eh stepped back out into the unforgiving Nevada sun.


	4. Chapter 4

"So are you in or out?" Jack finished nervously, watching Sunny carefully as he waited for her answer. As he had been heading back to the saloon from the garage he had spotted her patrolling the perimeter, Jack had made a beeline for her, slightly nervous at asking a woman he had just met for her help in fighting off an angry gang out for payback. He didn't have anything to offer her after all and this certainly wasn't the sort of thing that he would ever consider doing for free.

"Sure I'd be happy to help" Sunny said brightly, shooting Jack a winning smile.

"What? Why? Just like that?" Jack blurted out, cursing inwardly as he realised that he wasn't putting forward the most convincing argument.

"Why not, can't let you go out there and fight them by yourself now can I? Besides, despite what Trudy says, I know that eventually we're either going to have run away or fight those Powder Gangers. They're never just going to let us be so I'm going to help, still I'd feel more comfortable if you could manage to get more of the town to fight alongside us." Sunny paused for a moment, staring thoughtfully at Jack. "Now that I think of it you made quite an impression on Trudy, not to mention the rest of the town, when you chased Cobb out of town, even it did ruin our little date" She glared at him for a moment before smiling playfully "I guess I can forgive you though so long as you make it up to me."

"I will" Jack promised, grinning back

"Good. As I said before, Trudy's like the town mom, convince her we need to fight and most of the town will join us, if they do that we're more likely to survive and you'll be able to follow through on that promise."

"I better get to it then" Jack replied, waving a hand as he moved towards the saloon, his thoughts now consumed with how to persuade Trudy to fight alongside him, Ringo and Sunny.

_How in the hell am I going to convince her, who in their right minds going to take advice on how to fight from a man who has no memory because he got shot…twice…in the head….maybe I should just get her drunk before I ask her._

"Hey Trudy" Jack called out awkwardly as he walked into the saloon, doing his utmost to try and appear casual and relaxed as he moved over to the bar where Trudy was fiddling with the broken radio. "I'd…I'd uh like to talk to you about the whole Ringo situation"

"Oh? What's the matter?" Trudy asked sweetly though Jack detected a hint of steel lurking under the kindly smile and soothing tone.

"Well" Jack coughed self consciously "Me and Sunny and Ringo were thinking that, maybe, we should fight the Powder Gangers before they decide to just come into town and take them. I mean they started it." Jack garbled out the words quickly, shifting uneasily as Trudy's brown eyes stared unwaveringly at him.

"I don't care who started it, we shouldn't go around stirring up trouble I appreciate what your trying to do but violence will only cause more violence." Trudy replied firmly, her stare daring Jack to try and argue with her. Jack sighed resignedly and turned to go, not looking forward to informing Sunny and Ringo of his miserable failure. He was about to trudge out of the saloon when a stab of pain flashed in his head, turning his vision white as the pain flared to unbearable levels. Images flashed in front of him as he held his head in his hands.

_Screams and wails echoing around a burning town. Evil, menacing laughs and the sounds of children crying. Gunshots ring out as the town burns, the wood cracking as the fire rages and the heat becomes unbearable. Bodies lie on the ground, fallen where they once kneeled in surrender. Death hangs heavily in the air._

Jack gasped for air as he surfaced from the flurry of sights, smells and sounds, sweat coating his forehead as the pain began to fade, the images becoming less defined as they began to slip away once more.

"Are you alright?" Trudy asked as she laid a concerned hand on Jack's shoulder

"I'm fine" Jack lied as he spun round to face Trudy once more, a fire growing inside him as he felt a fresh determination to convince Trudy. "If you don't fight, you will die. I know it. Don't ask me how because I don't know, it's just a feeling. I do know that people like Cobb won't just leave you alone; they will take and take till there's nothing left to give. They don't care if you don't fight back, to them that just makes it easier for them to take everything you have. Now look with the saloon you have cover, the high ground and superior numbers, you can win this. If you need anything tell me and I'll damn well get it." Trudy stared at him, shocked; she took a moment to compose herself once more before replying.

"I suppose you may be right, you certainly sound like you know what you're talking about. We'll fight. We don't necessarily _need_ anything but there are a few things you could do to save lives. If Chet would give those that fight some leather armour and Doc Mitchell would lend us medical supplies we could save a lot of lives." Trudy still spoke confidently but Jack noticed her tone was more deferential now, before it was as if she was giving the orders, each sentence was a statement. Now each sentence had a slight lilt at the end as if she was waiting for Jack's approval before making a decision.

"I'll get on it" Jack replied shortly, his head was still spinning, his skin felt like it was on fire and he was desperate to make it outside where he could slump down in a shady spot somewhere. Not completely trusting his legs Jack leaned heavily on the counter under the pretence of examining the radio as he gathered himself for the steps needed to reach the door.

_Come on Jack, _He rallied himself, _you need to do this, show any weakness and people will start to lose faith._

Gritting his teeth, Jack walked steadily towards the door trying his damndest to avoid toppling over. As soon as he was out the door Jack leaned heavily on the wall as he moved round the corner to the area where Sunny had had him shoot old sarsaparilla bottles. Reaching a patch of shade he slumped down and fumbled around in his satchel for a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap Jack took a long gulp before resignedly resting his head on the wall behind him.

_What the fuck was that? Was that one of my memories? Fuck me, what kind of shit was I in before I was a courier? What of man was I?_

Jack groaned, fresh frustration at the murky waters of his mind that hid his past from him, what he had learnt since he had been shot had not brought him any comfort. Jack was worried about what kind of man he had been; worried that maybe he had deserved those two shots to the head. The pain began to fade away and his vision cleared, as soon as he felt strong enough Jack climbed to his feet, striding towards Chet's store hoping that it would driver the worries that lurked in the back of his mind, whispering all the horrible things he could have done. He shoved the shop's door open a little more roughly than normal, his bad temper getting the best for a moment. He paused a moment to get his temper back under control, breathing slowly to bring down his racing pulse. Chet was the kind of stubborn son of a bitch who would just dig his heels in if he felt he wasn't been treated with the respect he believed he deserved.

"Chet" Jack nodded towards the gangly merchant "I need to talk to you about something"

"Interested in buying some more of my fine products again sir"

"Maybe later but right now I'd need to talk to you about the town fighting the Powder Gangers"

"Now hold on now" Chet interrupted Jack with a brusque wave of his hand "I ain't no coward but it seems to me that there ain't no upside to fightin'. I just want to run my business and half my customers being killed in some fire fight ain't good for business."

"Look" Jack growled, fighting to control his frayed temper and keep his voice calm and reasonable "The town is going to fight, I've managed to convince Trudy so whether you agree or not I'm afraid that there is going to be a fire fight. Now you're a smart businessman so I'm sure you understand investments. The way I see it, supplying the fighters with leather armour would be a good investment as it would save some of your precious customer's lives. Plus on the bright side, you're the only guy around here that sells the weapons and ammo needed to fight so you're going to make a profit in the short run anyway."

"You make some good points; I still don't believe that this fights a good idea but if you're going to insist on doing it against my better judgement then it won't hurt me to do as you suggested."

"Thanks" Jack replied, reaching out to shake the merchant's hand firmly "You won't regret this"

"We'll see" Chet grumbled as he picked up a broom and began to sweep the floor, as Jack closed the door behind him he heard angry mutters about "interfering newcomers who don't learn that messing with bad people leads to death. You'd think he'd learn after almost dying. Smirking Jack headed up towards Doc Mitchells once more, he hoped that it would be easier to persuade the old guy who seemed like a kindly old soul, he'd been generous enough to give Jack the Pip-boy that now sat on his wrist.

"Hello again" The Doc said when he answered the door, a confused expression painted across his face "What you doing back here so soon?"

"Don't worry Doc, I haven't got myself injured…yet. I have however managed to get myself into a gun fight with some of those Powder Gangers…along with about half the town. I was hoping you'd lend us some stimpaks so we can avoid any unnecessary deaths."

"I suppose I could do that, you seem awful keen to get yourself shot again though." The Doc commented, inviting jack in as he rummaged through one of his bags.

"What can I say Doc, I seem to attract trouble. While I'm here I have been getting these awful headaches, I don't suppose…"

"Don't worry they're to be expected with head wounds, I'll give you some med-x free of charge. Be careful with it though, it's powerful stuff. Any memories returning?"

"No" Jack lied, not eager to share the macabre visions he had seen in Trudy's Saloon. "Still all fuzzy up there I'm afraid"

"Well don't you worry" the Doc said comfortingly, mistaking Jack's apprehension for fear that his memories would never return "I'm sure your memories will come back, it might just take a while for everything to untangle itself."

"Yeah" Jack muttered half heartedly as he trudged back out of the house "Thanks for the help Doc, you're a good man."

Ringo was staring sadly at an unopened can of pork and beans when Jack returned to the old garage, he was sat on his thin mattress, a disgusted expression on his face.

"You know" he complained "I never realised how bad this crap was until I had to eat it cold, now will you please tell me that I'll be able get out of this damn garage in the near future."

"Then I have good news" Jack grinned widely "I have Sunny and about half the town ready to fight"

"Well hot damn" Ringo smiled, flashing his impossibly white teeth at Jack "There's no point in me hiding here any more then is there. I can have a proper hot lunch for once, care to join me amigo." Ringo clapped his hands excitedly; he was much more animated now that he no longer had to cower away in the cramped garage shop.

"The Powder Gangers are going to be thrilled to see you" Jack commented dryly as he followed Ringo out into the afternoon sun. "While you enjoy you're hot meal I think I might clean my weapons, I have this strange feeling that I'm going need them very soon." Ringo chuckled as he used a lighter to set his pile of twigs, dry leaves and paper alight.

"Don't worry so much my man, we have half the town with us town." He whistled admiringly "Hot damn when you say you're gonna do something, you goddamn do it. Not bad for a guy who can't remember what he had for breakfast last Monday." Ringo burst into laughter once more, Jack forced himself to smile back, he was still troubled by the flashes of memory, scared of what he might have been.

* * *

The day was beginning end, though the sun was still had a ways to go before it reached the horizon when Sunny raced out to where Jack and Ringo sat in the shade, sipping bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla as they enjoyed the day, Jack figured that odds were it might be his last.

"Hey you two get of your asses" Sunny yelled when she got close enough "We got Powder Gangers headed into town, everyone's mustering by the Saloon. Let's go." She yelled the final two words over her shoulder as she turned and ran back in the direction she had come from, Jack hot on her heels as he chased after her, Ringo bringing up the rear.

_The only upside to this is that he's stopped telling me those goddamn awful jokes_ Jack smirked at the thought oddly happy at the news of the impending attack, he supposed that it was the fact that doing nothing gave him far to much time to think.

"How many of them are there?" He called out to Sunny who was a dozen or so yards ahead of him, running headlong with no signs of slowing down, the ever faithful Cheyenne bounding up ahead.

"About ten or so at the last count, Trudy's expecting about twenty to show for us but…"

"But they're vicious killers while ours are just regular folk trying to survive" Jack finished for her, the odd happiness fading somewhat at the thought. "Any chance you managed to convince Old Pete to part with some of his dynamite?" He asked hopefully

"No, I told you he only gives to those he believes can handle it and ever since the incident at the caves four summers ago he knows that I can't, you should've given it ago. Your silver tongue certainly worked on Trudy and Chet."

"Yeah because he's going to trust a man with no memory what so ever with a load of dynamite" Jack retorted

"Dynamite?" Ringo cut in, though obviously he'd only heard the last word "How much do we have? I'm great with dynamite you know, used to work the old gold mines north of Shady Sands."

Now you tell me, when we're running headlong into the damn fight" Jack groaned "When we get there, you find Old Pete and get the damn dynamite of him"

"Who the fuck's old Pete?"

"Old, black prospector with a white beard that reaches his belly" Jack yelled over his shoulder as the Saloon came into sight, putting on a final burst of speed he caught up to Sunny as the two of them ploughed through the crowd and onto the porch of Chet's store where Trudy and Chet were gesticulating wildly as they argued.

"What's going on here?" Jack asked brightly making an effort to appear happy and carefree for the benefit of the nervous townsfolk who had been watching Chet and Trudy fight with expressions not dissimilar to that of a child watching their parents fight. Deliberating shifting his gaze back from the crowd, Jack shot the two of them a meaningful stare hoping that they would get the message. They didn't.

"This selfish small excuse for a man thinks we should just..." Trudy began to speak indignantly, Chet voicing similar sentiments. Jack stared helplessly at Sunny before returning to his attempts to stop the arguments before morale hit rock bottom. He was not having any success when a gunshot cleaved through the noise leaving silence in its wake, jack's pistol was out of its holster and pointing in the direction the shot had came from, ready t fire, before he registered that it was Sunny who fired. She now stood causally, leaning on one of the store's porch posts, a sly smile upon her face.

"Nice reflexes" She commented to Jack, who smiled weakly at her at first before he noticed that Trudy and Chet had finally stopped arguing, his smile became more genuine as he turned back to the two trouble makers, politely suggesting that they go have a 'discussion' out of earshot of the rest of the townsfolk.

"You guys just be quiet for a moment" Jack scolded them as they rounded the corner "You're arguing is going to going to lose us the damn battle before it's even started. Now don't speak just nod or shake your heads. Do you have a battle plan?" They shook their heads.

"Ok, so what's going to happen is I'm going to go out there and tell them my plan, you two are just going to nod, agreed?" They nodded.

"And you two are going to look determined, confident and enthusiastic?" Another nod.

"Good, let's just try to pretend like you two get along till we've won, then you can fight all you like about whatever you like." They nodded once more and sigh Jack steeled himself for his speech, trying hard to project confidence and fearlessness as he strolled on to the stage with Chet and Trudy in tow.

* * *

It hadn't gone too bad, or at least Jack thought, that's what Sunny, Trudy and Ringo had assured him. Jack felt like most of his attempt at a rousing speech had consisted of ums and ahs, what could say he hated speaking in front of crowds, it made him ridiculously self conscious. He had surprised himself when it came to the tactical areas, ideas had just popped into his head as if they had been there all along. He'd given the best shots the rifles and put them on top of the saloon where they could pick off the Powder Gangers as they chose, the higher position also allowed them to watch for any attempts to flank Jack's militia. Sunny and the rest of the town hunter's were concealed in the desert brush to provide a flanking attack of their own.

"They're here" The shout cam from one of the marksman on the roof, Jack was standing by the front door to the saloon when the shout came, immediately he dived behind a barrel a salvo smacking into the saloon door as he hit the ground. He popped up from behind the barrel, lined one of the running Powder Gangers in his sights and squeezed the trigger before ducking back under the barrel before someone decided to have a shot at him. Peeking round the side he saw the man in question lying dead on the ground.

However despite the volume of fire coming from the defenders there were only two casualties on the Powder Ganger's side, after the initial exchange of fire their headlong charge had stopped, the ex convicts scattering into cover. They now crept forward, their experience with firearms showing as their more accurate shots forced the militia members to keep the heads down, some resorting to firing blindly. Jack yelled over the noise for them to stop that kind of firing, at this range they might as well just throw the ammo down a well. Taking another glance Jack swore as he saw the red sticks that some of the gangers carried, dynamite. If they got within range the explosions would scatter the already terrified militia. Jack weighed his options silently, firing more shots with his rifle, killing one and forcing another to scramble into cover. He could use his sharpshooters to take out the dynamite carriers but most weren't used shooting at things that shot back and even if they took out a carrier he was sure that another man would just grab the explosives. He had Sunny and her ambushers hidden in the brush but he didn't want to use them until the Powder Gangers were about to break. There was no cover where they crouched and if they were discovered too soon then they would be decimated in a sustained fire fight.

_Well shit, that leaves me with one dam crazy ass plan left. Probably going to get myself killed but I dragged everyone into the mess so I'll damn well drag them out._

Reaching down Jack flicked the safety off on his pistol before risking one last glance, there were seven powder gangers left now strung up the road that led into Goodsprings. Jack felt an odd sense of calm as he prepared to carry out his plan, really, he reflected he'd been on auto pilot ever since the fight started, it scared him in many ways that he could lose all his memory but still remember how to fight, combine it with those fucked up visions and it scared the living daylights out of him most of the time. Except for times like this, he smiled wryly as he rose to his feet, firing off another round which smashed into a charging powder ganger's face, blood spraying in the air as the man dropped the old fire axe he'd been waving above his head.

Then he was moving forward, bullets flying around, ricocheting of rocks and causing spurts of dust where they ploughed into the ground. Wrenching back the bolt, he chambered another round before sending it flying into another's leg, the dynamite that he was about to throw flying backwards through the air as the force of the shot causing the man to pirouette around as he collapsed on the ground. The dynamite flew to the back of the group enveloping the rearmost man in a violent explosion.

"You mother fucker, I am going to kill you real slow" Cobb roared furiously as body parts of his erstwhile companion rained down on the remaining four men. Jack yanked his 9mm from his holster as the four remaining powder gangers charged towards him. A series of cracks denoted the appearance of Sunny's hunters whose volley of fire cut down the first two men including Cobb. Jack couldn't help the grin that spread upon his face as he shot the remaining two men, putting two shots in each of their chests before putting one between their eyes for good measure just in case they, like Cobb, had managed to get their hands on set of body armour.

Moving over to Cobb's prostrate form, he kicked the body, the action resulting in a pained groan.

"Cobb you're still alive?" Jack asked surprised considering the roughness of which Cobb had been thrown off his feet. He stared into the man's eyes, hate replaced by fear, as he raised his gun one last time and squeezed the trigger.

Then it was over and then is if a switch had been turned off and Jack felt like he had awoken from a trance, he stared horrified at the man that he killed in cold blood.

"Shit" he breathed shakily, feeling bile rising in the back of his throat. Breathing slowly he attempted to calm himself, occupying his mind by picking up his rifle and checking it over for damage. He couldn't do it properly however, his hands were shaking too much. It wasn't so much that he was upset that Cobb was dead, from what little he knew about Joe Cobb he knew that the Wasteland was better off with him dead. He feared who he was, he didn't know much and what little he did know was bad. He was good with weapons, he was cold blooded killer and he had had visions of a burned out town with screams hanging in the air, all of which pointed to him being the same type of man as the late Joe Cobb and that was what had made him so terrified.


End file.
